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Journal of Human Lactation
DOI: 10.1177/0890334408326086
2009; 25; 64 originally published online Nov 4, 2008; J Hum Lact Rizal Damanik Bataknese Lactating Women in Simalungun, North Sumatera, Indonesia
Torbangun (Coleus amboinicus Lour): A Bataknese Traditional Cuisine Perceived as Lactagogue by
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64
plants to stimulate lactation.1Diets during this period
are often controlled and managed according to cultural
traditions and dietary beliefs as to what is appropriate
and inappropriate/taboo at these times. It is a crucial
time for women if they wish to maintain their own
health and ensure the survival of the newborn.
Bataknese lactating women in Simalungun in the
North Sumatera province of Indonesia have traditional
beliefs and practices related to the confinement period.
Bataknese women who have just given birth must con-
sume a traditional diet of torbangun soup during their
confinement period (The confinement period literally
means “doing the month,” and it varies slightly
between societies: 1 month among Chinese and around
30 to 40 days in Southeast Asian societies).2,3,5 They
believe the torbangun soup, which is made from
Coleus amboinicus Lour (CAL) leaves, can stimulate
their milk production. This tradition has been practiced
by the Bataknese women for hundreds of years but has
not been well documented. This article presents data
collected from focus group discussions (FGDs)
conducted to gather information regarding the practice
Summary Statement:
Torbangun (Coleus amboinicus Lour): A Bataknese Traditional
Cuisine Perceived as Lactagogue by Bataknese Lactating
Women in Simalungun, North Sumatera, Indonesia
Rizal Damanik, MRepSc, PhD
Abstract
Torbangun (Coleus amboinicus Lour)has been used as a breast milk stimulant (a lactagogue)
by Bataknese people in Indonesia for hundreds of years. However, the traditional use of
torbangun is not well documented, and scientific evidence is limited to establish coleus as a
lactagogue. This Focus Group Discussion (FGD) study was conducted to gather information
regarding the practice and cultural beliefs related to the traditional use of torbangun as a
lactagogue. The main findings of this investigation were: (1) torbangun, which is considered
nourishing, is usually given to the mother for one month after giving birth in order to restore
her state of balance; (2) in the Bataknese culture, torbangun is perceived to serve several
purposes which include enhancing breast milk production and acting as a uterine cleansing
agent; and (3) the tradition has been practiced for hundreds of years, and its adherence is still
strong. J Hum Lact. 25(1):64-72.
Keywords: Coleus amboinicus Lour,torbangun,Bataknese Simalungun,traditional
cuisine,Indonesia
Received for review June 28, 2008; revised manuscript accepted for publi-
cation August 14, 2008.
Rizal Damanik, MRepSc, PhD, is a lecturer at Department of Community
Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology of IPB University in Bogor Indonesia.
He is currently a visiting assistant professor at the Department of Nutrition
Sciences, Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences of International Islamic
University Malaysia (IIUM) in Kuantan Campus Malaysia.
Address correspondence to Rizal Damanik, Department of Community
Nutrition, Faculty of Human Ecology, IPB University Bogor, Jalan Lingkar
Akademik, Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor 26680, Indonesia, e-mail: rizal-
damanik@ipb.ac.id.
I would like to thank the participants and facilitators for their important
contribution for this study and Prof. John K. Candlish of Department of
Basic Health Sciences, KAHS-IIUM, for his helpful comments on early
drafts. I am also grateful to anonymous reviewers of this article for their
helpful criticisms and suggestions.
J Hum Lact 25(1), 2009
DOI: 10.1177/0890334408326086
© Copyright 2009 International Lactation Consultant Association
Beliefs about the effects of food on pregnancy and
lactation are widespread among women in traditional
societies. These beliefs include the use of various
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J Hum Lact 25(1), 2009 Traditional Cuisine Perceived as Lactagogue in Indonesia 65
and cultural beliefs related to consumption of torban-
gun as a lactagogue during the early lactation period.
Method
Study Population
North Sumatra Province, with Medan as its capital
city, is 1 of 32 provinces of Indonesia located on the
mainland of Sumatra and the adjacent islands of Nias
and the Batu-Batu chain. The province is located
between east longitude 98°to 100°and north longi-
tude 1°to 4°with 71 680 km2or 3.7% of Indonesia’s
entire landmass. It stretches from east to west across
Sumatra and surrounded by 162 islands, of which 156
spread along the western coast and 6 on the eastern
coast. The special territory of Aceh on the North, West
Figure 1. North Sumatera Province, Indonesia.
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66 Damanik J Hum Lact 25(1), 2009
Sumatra and Riau provinces on the south, Indian
Ocean on the west, and Straits of Malacca on the east
border of this province. It is close to Singapore,
Malaysia, and Thailand, adjacent to international ship-
ping lanes (Figure 1).
The FGDs were conducted in 3 villages in the
Simalungun District, North Sumatra Province,
Indonesia. The 3 villages were (a) Simarimbun, situ-
ated about 5 km from Pematang Siantar, the capital
city of the Simalungun District; (b) Sidamanik, situ-
ated in the coastal region south of the Sidamanik
municipality, about 45 km from Pematang Siantar; and
(c) Hutabayu situated in the mountainous region in the
municipality of Huta Bayu Raja, about 25 km from
Pematang Siantar.
Invitations to participate in the FGDs study were
disseminated through the village mayors and mid-
wives. Eligible participants were Bataknese women
who had experienced breastfeeding, had food-related
knowledge of CAL, and had consumed CAL while
nursing their infants. As the study aimed to document
both the past and the current situation of the use of
CAL, 30 grandmothers who were older than 50 years
who already had grandchildren, as well as 30 mothers
aged between 35 and 50 years who had not had grand-
children, were also recruited. Participants were
selected so that the women who had at least 2 children
were represented in both groups. It should be noted
that although the term mothers was used when refer-
ring to the group of participants, aged 35 to 50 years,
who had not had grandchildren, this term included
mothers who gave birth to their second or third baby
during the period in which the study was conducted, as
well as mothers who had given birth a few years
before. This group of women was recruited for the pur-
pose of gaining their insights to current motherhood
and childbearing practices in the Simalungun District
and any changes in their traditional practices.
The study protocol was presented to and approved
by IPB Bogor University Standing Committee for
Research on Humans. Additional approval for entry
into community was required from the local govern-
ment of the Simalungun District. All participants gave
their informed written consent.
Focus Group Discussions
In each of 3 villages, 2 group discussions were con-
ducted separately for the elderly and the recent mothers,
so that opinions and experiences from different perspec-
tives could be obtained. The separation was also devised
to encourage free discussion since the age and the status
of participants in each respective group were relatively
equivalent.
The discussions took place in village health centers
and/or at midwife practices. A total of 6 group discus-
sions were conducted separately, each with 7 to 13
participants (7-9 for mothers, 11-13 for grandmoth-
ers). The discussions concentrated on the cultural per-
ceptions of CAL on breastfeeding. The following
issues were explored using a structured questionnaire:
general breastfeeding practices among Simalungun
women, knowledge about the CAL plant and its use in
the past, and experiences using CAL during the lacta-
tion period. The results of the FGDs study were vali-
dated and updated by cross-checking the information
gathered from the elderly mothers with that from the
recent mothers and vice versa.
The discussions were conducted either in the
Simalungun language or in the Indonesian language
by the assigned midwives and were recorded audio-
visually. Each discussion lasted for 60 to 90 minutes.
Informal interviews with 4 grandmothers who were
over 85 years of age and had consumed CAL while
nursing their infants were also conducted to explore
the historical explanations of the usage of torbangun
in the Bataknese tradition. These grandmothers were
nominated by participants from the grandmother’s
group discussion. Observations to several homes of the
lactating mother were also conducted to obtain further
information on the CAL plant.
Data Collection
The discussions were recorded on videotape and
first transcribed by 2 independent bilingual research
assistants. A basic content analysis method was used
to identify, code, count, and group ideas and themes
within and across the conversations. In this method,
the translation retains, verbatim, what the women said,
with some syntactical corrections. Attention was paid
to the words, contexts, frequency, extensiveness, and
specificity of responses.6Content analysis was then
combined with an ethnographic approach to present-
ing the data. Quotations from the participants that
were thought to best express the main ideas and signif-
icant themes were woven into the narrative presented
in this article.
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J Hum Lact 25(1), 2009 Traditional Cuisine Perceived as Lactagogue in Indonesia 67
Results
Subject Characteristics
Sixty Simalungun women were recruited for the
study: 36 were grandmothers, aged 51 to 91 years, and
24 were mothers, aged 35 to 50 years. The characteris-
tics of the participants involved in the FGDs study are
presented in Table 1.
The grandmothers tended to have at least 5 chil-
dren, whereas most of the mothers had only 3 or 4.
The majority of the mothers had completed high
school, and half of them worked in an office. In
contrast, more than 60% of the grandmothers had no
formal education and were homemakers taking care of
their families.
Knowledge About Torbangun Soup
The Bataknese women believed that there were
dietary ways in which they could boost the produc-
tion of their breast milk. Traditionally, Bataknese
women in Simalungun who have just given birth must
include torbangun leaves in their diet in order to
increase their breast milk production. Torbangun
leaves cooked in a soup form, either with chicken or
catfish, are considered to produce abundant breast
milk. Torbangun is believed to contain a certain sub-
stance, which helps stimulate breast milk production.
Thus, torbangun soup is consumed soon after giving
birth and continued for at least 1 month. One woman
stated:
For Bataknese women who have just given
birth, particularly in the first month, they must
consume torbangun soup so that they will pro-
duce a lot of breast milk. Our ancestors have
handed down this tradition for more than hun-
dred years. (Grandmother with 6 children, from
Sidamanik)
The practice of consuming torbangun soup has been
passed on from one generation to the next and contin-
ues to be maintained by the Simalungun women. The
grandmothers gave their comments about this.
I have 8 children and I always consumed torban-
gun soup after I gave birth.At that time my mother
prepared the soup for me. When I asked my mother
whether she ate the soup when she gave birth she
answered yes. Now I always cook torbangun soup
for my daughter or daughter-in-law when they
give birth. (Grandmother with 8 children, from
Huta Bayu)
The mothers’ knowledge about the practice of consum-
ing torbangun soup was based on their experiences
after they had given birth. At that time, their mother
and/or their mother-in-law cooked the soup and asked
them to consume it.
Table 1. Characteristics of the Participants of the FGDs Study
Mothers (aged Grandmothers
35-50 years) (aged 51-91 years)
Simarimbun (total n =20) n =8 n =12
Number of children
210
3 or 4 74
≥508
Occupation
Housewives 18
Self-employed 22
Casual 12
Office-based 40
Highest education level
No formal education 08
Elementary school 13
High school 71
Sidamanik (total n =20) n =9 n =11
Number of children
210
3 or 4 74
≥517
Occupation
Housewives 17
Self-employed 23
Casual 21
Office-based 40
Highest education level
No formal education 06
Elementary school 23
High school 72
Hutabayu (total n =20) n =7 n =13
Number of children
210
3 or 4 54
≥519
Occupation
Housewives 08
Self-employed 12
Casual 23
Office-based 40
Highest education level
No formal education 08
Elementary school 04
High school 71
FGDs, focus group discussions.
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68 Damanik J Hum Lact 25(1), 2009
I remember when my youngest sister was born,
my mother ate torbangun soup every day. At that
time my father and my grandmother cooked the
soup for her. My mum said the soup would stim-
ulate her breast milk production. When I deliv-
ered my babies my mother cooked the soup for
me. (Mother with 4 children, from Sidamanik)
Another remarked:
I stayed at my mother in-law’s house when I had
my first child. She always asked me to consume
the soup every day. She said that I had to con-
sume the soup so that my breast milk would be
abundant. My mother-in-law was correct. I always
consume the soup every time I gave birth for all
of my children. I have 4 children now. (Mother
with 4 children, from Simarimbun)
Meaning of Torbangun
Torbangun is a local name among the Bataknese
people for the Coleus amboinicus Lour plant. In the
present study, the grandmothers were asked about the
historical background behind its name. According to
the grandmothers, torbangun leaves have 2 names
among the Bataknese people: namely, bangun-bangun
among the Toba Bataknese and torbangun/tarbangun
among those from the Simalungun or Karo Bataknese.
Despite the differences in name, the benefits of using
this plant to increase breast milk production after giving
birth and during the breastfeeding period are considered
the same for all groups.
For Simalungun people we call this torbangun.
But forToba Bataknese people they name this ban-
gun-bangun. However, the plants and the function
of this plant are the same. It’s just a matter of name.
(Grandmother with 7 children, from Simarimbun)
Another grandmother remarked:
There is no difference between those 2 names. They
are the same. I’m sure all Bataknese people here
recognize this plant whether you call it bangun-
bangun or torbangun or tarbangun. (Grandmother
with 9 children, from Huta Bayu)
Grandmothers gave historical explanations for the name
torbangun and its meaning, which can be seen from
2 different aspects: linguistic and philosophical points
of views. A grandmother in Sidamanik village said,
Torbangun or tarbangun is Bataknese Simalungun
language. The word “bangun” means “wake up”.
It means that the leaf has the benefit of lifting
the spirit or giving more power/strength to the
mother. (Grandmother with 8 children, from
Sidamanik)
Another grandmother who was 90 years old and had
15 grandchildren from Huta Bayu explained from a
philosophical point of view:
Torbangun portrays that a woman, who has just
given birth loses a lot of energy, hence feels worn
out. However, she must breastfeed the baby,
therefore needs a lot of extra energy. She doesn’t
only need the energy during the day when she is
awake but also during the night when she has to
breastfeed. This will go on for months during the
breastfeeding period. And for the mother to be
able to have the extra energy, she must consume
torbangun soup. By consuming the soup she will
be able to get up and stay awake at night and
breastfeed the baby. (Grandmother with 7 chil-
dren, from Huta Bayu)
The Preparation of Torbangun Soup
In Simalungun, torbangun is grown in the home
garden, usually the home where a mother is to give
birth. It is easily cultivated. The husband or the mother
and also the mother-in-law usually plant a large
amount of torbangun in their yard. If they do not have
enough space in their home yard, they will plant it in
their farm. They plant a large amount of torbangun so
that the new mother is able to consume the soup for 1
month. They start planting torbangun when the
woman is about 7 to 8 months pregnant so that they can
harvest the leaves when her labor occurs. After the
baby is delivered, they will have enough for 1 month.
Alternatively, they can buy it from local markets.
I visited and stayed at my children’s house when
my daughter’s pregnancy was 8 months along.
During that time I helped them by looking after
my grandchildren, cooking and planting the tor-
bangun in their yard. (Grandmother with 7 chil-
dren, from Huta Bayu)
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J Hum Lact 25(1), 2009 Traditional Cuisine Perceived as Lactagogue in Indonesia 69
Another grandmother said,
Torbangun is a typical bush plant that is com-
monly used by the Bataknese. This plant
can grow easily, especially when we water it
often. It is easy to plant it, using its stem cut-
tings. (Grandmother with 6 children, from
Simarimbun)
Another mother remarked:
My husband and my mother-in-law always plant
the torbangun in our house yard when I’m going
to give birth. It is easy to plant and can grow eas-
ily, without fertilizer. They plant it so that there is
enough stock for about 1 month (Mother with 4
children, from Sidamanik)
Torbangun is served as soup. The torbangun soup is
cooked by most of the Bataknese women in Simalungun
as follows:
1. 120-150 g of young torbangun leaves and
their stems (≈0.5-1 cm from the tip) and
branch are rinsed and cleaned.
2. The leaves are macerated and then squeezed
to remove the bitter-tasting water.
3. Coconut milk, a glass of water, and slices of
chicken are cooked together in a pot—catfish
can be an alternative to sliced chicken. The
chicken adds flavor to the soup. Boil until the
chicken is cooked.
4. Ingredients such as salt, garlic, brown onion,
and curcuma are cooked separately in a pan
and added later. The torbangun leaves are
then added, and the mixture is brought to
boil. Lemon juice is added, and the soup is
then removed from the heat. The dish is then
ready to serve.
According to some grandmothers, there have been
some modifications in the preparation method. In more
traditional practice, the soup was cooked without
adding coconut milk.
Back then, torbangun soup was cooked without
using coconut milk. After it was roughly squeezed,
torbangun leaves were cooked with all the ingredi-
ents and then ready to serve. (Grandmother with 8
children, from Simarimbun)
In the study, the grandmothers could not give a definite
explanation as to why the traditional recipe did not con-
tain the coconut milk. However, all the grandmothers
agreed that adding coconut milk into the soup reduces
the bitterness, and all the mothers preferred the new soup.
The mothers explained that adding coconut milk into the
soup improved the taste and reduced the bitter taste.
I always ask my mother to cook the soup with
coconut milk. It makes the soup tastier. I couldn’t
eat the soup cooked without coconut milk. (Mother
with 3 children, from Simarimbun)
Another woman related:
I had tried the torbangun soup cooked without
the coconut milk. I found the taste was very bitter.
I don’t like the taste. (Mother with 3 children,
from Huta Bayu)
Some grandmothers in the study claimed that adding
slices of chicken into the soup were not common in the
traditional recipe. According to them, catfish, not sliced
chicken, was added into the soup and only for 2 to 3 days
as a compliment for the women who had just given birth.
Adding slices of chicken to the dish was not
common. More often it was catfish. Adding
catfish was not compulsory, it was just comple-
ment. This would be served only 2-3 days after
the women had given birth. We also didn’t add
coconut milk to the soup. (Grandmother with
6 children, from Sidamanik)
The Current Practice of Torbangun Soup-Making
Simalungun women who had just given birth usually
consumed torbangun soup 3 times a day at mealtimes.
Traditionally, the soup was consumed on the first day
when the women gave birth, but later on as more
women began delivering at midwives’ practices or at
Puskesmas (community health centers), they began
consuming it only after they had returned home (2-3
days after they had given birth).
I gave birth at home with the assistance of tradi-
tional birth attendance. After my baby delivered,
the first food that I ate was the torbangun soup.
My mother cooked the soup while I was in labor.
(Grandmother with 7 children from Simarimbun)
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70 Damanik J Hum Lact 25(1), 2009
Another grandmother related:
Now is the modern era. Many women give birth
not at home like I experienced but at the mid-
wife’s practice or at Puskesmas. They stay there
for 2 to 3 days. So I gave my daughter or my
daughter-in-law torbangun soup after they came
home. The midwife and/or Puskesmas don’t
provide the torbangun soup for their patients.
(Grandmother with 5 children, from Sidamanik)
According to grandmothers, there are no limitations
of quantity and frequency in consuming the soup.
Women who have just given birth can consume the
soup as much as they want and as long as they want to
consume it. Traditionally, women who had just given
birth consumed the soup at least 3 times a day at meal-
time for 1 month.
There is no restriction in consuming torbangun
soup either in quantity or frequency. You can eat
the soup any time and have as much as you want.
You can eat the soup 5 times a day or more than
2 months. It’s ok. As long as you can afford it!
(Grandmother with 8 children, from Simarimbun)
Another grandmother remarked:
I like the soup very much. I often asked my mother
to have another bowl of soup. I ate the soup 3 times
a day for 5 weeks. I started to have the soup the day
after I delivered. I ate this soup with rice and other
dishes that we had during mealtime. (Grandmother
with 6 children, from Huta Bayu)
Experiences Consuming Torbangun Soup
In these group discussions, all participants consid-
ered the effects of consuming torbangun soup during
their nursing period to have been beneficial. In general,
all women felt that their health was in prime condition.
The women felt vigorous and healthy after consuming
the soup. Women are encouraged to breastfeed the
baby even at night. When asked what the effects were
after having consumed the soup, one mother related:
After consuming torbangun soup, I felt fit and
my tiredness wore off not too long after giving
birth. The soup is good for recovery after giving
birth. (Mother with 3 children, from Sidamanik)
Torbangun soup helps to increase breast milk produc-
tion. The women felt their breasts become full with
breast milk after consumption of the soup.
My breast milk production was abundant after
consuming torbangun. My breast felt full and
there were drops of breast milk around my nip-
ples. (Mother with 3 children, from Hutabayu)
Another mother related:
I really had plenty of breast milk. My breasts felt
full and tensed after consuming torbangun soup.
That’s why I felt better if my baby wanted to
breastfeed because it released the tensed muscle
around the breasts. (Mother with 4 children, from
Simarimbun)
Women in this study also mentioned consuming tor-
bangun soup as a way to help to control postpartum
bleeding. Furthermore, it was also said to help to flush
out the remaining childbirth blood and remaining pla-
centa from the uterus, hence making it clean. It was
said that it would help the mother to recover faster and
get back to her daily activities.
Besides my breast milk increasing, torbangun
soup also helped my body to expel the dirty
blood from my reproductive organ. (Mother with
3 children, from Sidamanik)
Another mother remarked:
I had my reproductive organs clean faster from
the childbirth blood than my Javanese neighbor
who didn’t consume torbangun soup. I told her
to consume torbangun, but she didn’t want to.
(Mother with 3 children, Sidamanik)
Discussion
The Use of Torbangun as a Lactagogue
Breastfeeding as a process is culturally constructed;
that is, in spite of its physiological base, the process
itself, its meaning, and the way it is integrated into cul-
tural systems varies globally. In most Asian societies,
for example, birth and the immediate postpartum
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J Hum Lact 25(1), 2009 Traditional Cuisine Perceived as Lactagogue in Indonesia 71
period are considered to be vulnerable times for
mother and child. Societies in this region, therefore,
tend to have certain sets of beliefs and practices for
coping with this life change and for dealing with the
uncertainty associated with childbirth. Many cultures
prescribe certain diets for lactating women. Rice,
gruel, soup, vegetables, and edible wild plants may be
used extensively by many cultures during the postpar-
tum period to promote milk production. In the United
States, beer and brewer’s yeast have been touted as lac-
tagogues. Fenugreek tea is a popular lactagogue in the
United States but is also used in Argentina, Egypt,
Iraq, North Africa, and Sudan.7Northern Mexicans
make special teas from “hot” plants such as sesame
and absinthe, and in some parts of Latin America,
herbal teas are drunk in the evening to stimulate milk
for the morning.8In Africa, lactating Fulani women in
rural eastern Nigeria eat wild plants to stimulate breast
milk production, especially the leaves of Veronia col-
orate and fruits of Lannea schiniperi.9Other work
focused on herbal use during lactation has been con-
ducted in Ghana,10(pp141-159) Zaire,11 and Zimbabwe.12
Traditional or folkloric knowledge of medicinal
plants is an integral part of cultural understanding of
health and disease. Food beliefs related to the lactation
period are diverse.13 It is generally assumed that the
traditional diet after childbirth should consist of food
containing “hot” properties. For example, Gujarati
women in Bangladesh consume dill seed soon after
giving birth to recover14 and consume kaltu, penjerri,
or kalo jeera barta (“sweetmeat” consisting of whole
meal wheat flour, nuts, various spices, and unrefined
sugar) to increase their breast milk production.15 The
Hmong women of Laos consume herbs known as
tshuaj quib (chicken herbal medicine) to enhance
breast milk production.16
Traditionally, Bataknese lactating women consume
torbangun during the first month after giving birth. They
consume a bowl of soup 3 times a day with the belief
that torbangun stimulates the breast milk production.
Currently, however, a mother commences the soup con-
sumption on the second day after giving birth. This is
because many new mothers now give birth not at home
but at their midwives’ premises. There are no restric-
tions on the frequency with which torbangun is to be
consumed. These traditional practices overlap with the
timing of lactogenesis stage II. During this stage, breast
milk volume increases rapidly during the period of 36 to
96 hours postpartum, and then abruptly levels off.17
Conclusion
The results of the present study show that the tradi-
tion of consuming torbangun during the confinement
period is still practiced by the Bataknese lactating
women in Simalungun. What is striking is the degree
to which young Bataknese women maintain traditional
confinement practices in the modern era. Although
modern obstetric care is provided for mothers and their
infants in the midwives’ homes, and although the
women utilize the care provided, most of them prefer
their traditional practices when they have their babies.
Knowledge of existing childbirth beliefs and practices
among Bataknese women needs to be a prime concern
in establishing maternal health programs especially in
Indonesia. For example, since Simalungun mothers
believe that there are confinement diets that can pro-
mote breast milk, health professionals should consult
pregnant Simalungun women and then support their
family in order to bring these foods to them during
their hospital stay if they wish to do so.
In conclusion, the results gained from this study
show that the tradition of the Simalungun Bataknese
lactating mothers in consuming torbangun during their
confinement period has been practiced for hundreds of
years and is still strongly maintained. From this study
it is clear that the Coleus amboinicus Lour plant is
perceived to have a beneficial role in the Bataknese
diet, particularly for maternal health. However, further
investigations, including human clinical trials, are
required to substantiate its benefits in nutrition and
health in humans.
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